International

US Elections: Trump Faces More Republican Rejections

Many Republican party officials continue to declare that they will not support Donald Trump.

As November 8, 2016, the presidential election day in the United States of America draws nearer, the Republican party nominee, Donald Trump continues to face more rejections from the party officials.

A survey conducted by USA TODAY Network published on Tuesday, October 11, 2016 indicates that 26 per cent of Republican governors and members of Congress are refusing to endorse GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump. The survey specified that of the 31 Republican governors, 54 GOP senators and the 246 Republican members of the House (331 total), 87 did not endorse Trump’s candidature as at Tuesday. The New York Times on its part reported that more than 160 Republican leaders do not support Donald Trump with the rejection curve rising exponentially since a video was published in which Mr Trump is reported to say he was groping women.

The Republican Speaker of the House of Representatives, Paul Ryan is in an open clash with Mr Trump. The New York Times cited Ryan as telling House Republicans on Monday that, he could no longer defend Trump and would not campaign with him. Paul Ryan reportedly said that he would focus his energy on trying to maintain Republican control of the House and Senate. “The speaker is going to spend the next month focused entirely on protecting our congressional majorities,” spokeswoman AshLee Strong is quoted as saying. Ryan's decision was a "clear signal party leaders are giving up hope of winning the White House" and illustrated how much they are "fretting their nominee is jeopardising their control of the Senate and even the House," Financial Times is quoted as saying.

The fracture in the support for Donald Trump continues to deepen within the Republican party officials. RFI cited Mitt Romney, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Condoleeza Rice as also declaring that they no longer support the candidature of Donald Trump. As at Tuesday, Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton was leading Donald Trump by 6.5 per cent in election poll published by RealClear Politics.